


We Found Each Other at the End of the World

by Midnight_Goldstone



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gore, Romance, Slow Burn, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 04:36:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7962727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Goldstone/pseuds/Midnight_Goldstone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby Harper is a recently graduated university student from Australia who decided to go road tripping around the United States. When the virus broke out and the world went to hell she was near Atlanta, Georgia. Unable to get back home and reunite with her loved ones, Ruby was stuck to survive on her own, quickly learning to be wary of the dead as well as the living. She's become handy with knives and her weapon of choice for taking down the dead is a machete. As she's hunting for food she comes across two men, one armed with a Colt Python the other with a crossbow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is intended to be a reader-centric fic but due to creative necessity I've had to just create a character, you're welcome to imagine yourself in the place of her however. This is my first Walking Dead fic so I hope you all enjoy it!

She sighed as she wiped the sweat that was continuously dewing on her forehead with her shoulder. Ruby Harper was a recently graduated Australian student who was road tripping through the United States when the virus broke out and people were coming back from the dead with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. She was somewhere near Atlanta, filling up the beat up old Jeep she had bought for a cheap buck when a man had come ambling up to her voraciously trying to bite her arm. From there she quickly found out that the world had gone to shit and she wasn't able to get back to her home country to reunite with her family. She found herself on the other side of the world, at the end of times, with no one but herself to save her ass. She had driven from place to place until the Jeep had broken down beyond her knowledge of repairing it. From there she had continued on foot through backwater Georgia with her huge travelling rucksack. Despite the weight of the thing, she was grateful for it, it contained all of the things she needed for survival. Within it was a tent, sleeping bag, water canteen, a small axe, first aid kit, a box of firestarters, matches, two packs of cigarettes, rope, fishing tackle, a torch, water purification kit, a good sized square of tarpaulin, a change of clothes, winter jacket and various tins of food. Some of this she had already possessed before the apocalypse but most she had scavenged from houses, stores and abandoned vehicles.

On her person she carried a machete for the dead, various knives for unfriendly characters, a slingshot and a small handgun for hunting and desperate times. Since the world had gone to hell she had only encountered unsavoury people once, a group of men who offered her protection for sex. But when she had refused they became violent and were clearly going to take her by force. She had barely escaped them and had since been just as wary of the living as she was of the dead. Ruby was currently trudging through the Georgian woods, looking for a meal and hoping for some rain to release her from this humid bubble she seemed to be in. 

Tracking was harder than she had thought so as much as she was looking for game, she hoped she would come across a stream or pond to fish from. The advantage of carrying all she needed for a camp on her back was that she didn't have to worry about finding her way back to a fixed location. She was focused only on finding food in this forest and wasn't particularly concerned about coming across any of the dead or the living. She would easily be able to hear the footfalls of people or the dragging steps of the dead and would have enough warning to scramble up a tree. The only sounds that could be heard was the steady song of millions of cicadas and birds so she could breathe easy for now. The ground began to slope down and Ruby hoped this would lead to a stream, she picked up her pace and imagined the times when she could just order takeaway when she was hungry. 

She'd been walking for a while now and she could see that the trees were starting to thin, not enough to see what was ahead but Ruby was still focused on finding a place to fish from. She continued on her merry way, whistling a tune now that she wasn't worried about scaring away the game, she didn't exactly have a way of taking down meal besides, unless she was able to get a rabbit with a hard enough shot from her slingshot. She paused for a moment to lift her shirt and give her face a good wipe again. Deciding to take a short break she hefted her pack from her back and pulled the canteen from within it. Taking a healthy gulp of the metallic tasting water she perched herself on a log and looked around at her surroundings. From the corner of her eye she saw dark shape move, standing up and whipping her head around to get a better look Ruby craned her neck to see through the maze of trees. 

A twig broke behind her and before she could draw her gun or even a breath a rasping voice spoke from behind her.

"I wouldn't. Turn around slowly." 

Her hands found their way into the air instinctively and she did what the man said cursing herself for stopping for a drink. When she had turned around she looked up and met startling blue eyes, the view of them was partially concealed by the dark, dirty hair that hung down over the man's face. What really captured her attention though was the crossbow aimed at her head and she fought back a hysterical giggle because she had never seen one except for in medieval films. But this weapon was modern and the man behind it looked more than capable of wielding it. She heard footsteps and her head turned in the direction of the sound, a man walked towards them with a large gun raised at her, he must have been who she had seen earlier, the two of them had seen her first and had surrounded her. She twice swore at herself for her mistake. 

The man that walked towards her looked powerful, like, if they were in a crowd he would command the respect of everyone. He had curly, slightly greying brown hair and she could see in his eyes that he would put her down if she made the wrong move. Ruby looked from one man to the other trying to figure out a way out of this sticky predicament. Baby Blues was close to her and if she was quick enough she could land a kick into his stomach while throwing the knife that was up her sleeve at Greybeard. She thought "what the hell" and did exactly that. She quickly ducked down to avoid the crossbow and thrust her right leg out, feeling the impact of her boot meeting the soft flesh of a stomach. The guy went down hard, not expecting a fight from a woman cornered by two armed men. Before the other guy could blink she threw her knife in his direction but the aim wasn't perfect because a foot had knocked into her ankle sending her into the dirt. 

She took her gun out of the back of her jeans and held it up, getting to her feet and aiming it, switching rapidly between each guy. They had gathered themselves and were now advancing on her, clearly pissed and their fingers on the triggers. Ruby was starting to panic now, she didn't have another knife handy, one was in her boot and the other strapped to her hip. 

"That was a stupid move you pulled, girlie," Baby Blues grunted. 

She scoffed at that and held her gun steadily knowing that if she managed to shoot one then the other would just put a bullet or bolt in her head. In other words, she was well and truly fucked. Memories of her last encounter with men rushed through her head and tears began to well in her eyes. She was not going to become a sex slave, she'd rather die. 

Daryl's POV 

The girl before them was clearly out of options. His gut hurt from the surprising force of her kick and he could see from the corner of his eye that her knife had become buried in a tree behind Rick. The girl was deceptively strong despite her short form. He could see in her warm brown eyes that she was panicking, looking everywhere for a way out. Daryl hoped she wouldn't do something that would force them to shoot, but she clearly wasn't going to listen to them about joining their camp. 

His finger pressed ever so slightly harder on his trigger when he saw her arm move, not to aim at one of them, but up to her right temple. He couldn't believe that she was would kamikaze herself instead of talk to them. He glanced at Rick and saw the guy change from warrior to peacetalker. Both of them lowered their weapons from her head to somewhere near in the direction of her upper leg. 

Rick held his free hand out trying to reach out to the terrified girl. 

"Hey, now there's no need for that," Rick's voice was trying to be soothing.

"Like hell there isn't. No way am I going with you two assholes, I'd rather off myself thanks," the girl replied in an oddly out of place accent. 

"We're not going to hurt you, but you did make the first move so we had to defend ourselves," Rick said quickly, trying to stop the girl in her determined path to death. 

"Yeah? I ain't buying that cowboy, all men want now are guns and sex," the girl said, the hand holding the gun shaking slightly now, the muzzle of the gun rustling her wild mane of brownish red curls. 

"Trust me, we don't want what you think. We have a camp full of good people, I have a son and a baby daughter." 

Daryl saw the hesitation in her eyes, since they had started speaking Daryl had been carefully edging closer and closer to the girl. He was now a metre away from her and he quickly pulled the arm holding the gun upwards, he twisted her arm and she dropped the gun with a sharp hiss of pain. She started fighting tooth and nail, landing punches wherever she could and Daryl deflected as much as he could but the girl was determined. She suddenly pulled a knife from her hip but before she could wield it, Rick struck the back of her head with the butt of her gun. She crumpled to the ground without so much as a sound. 

Rick and Daryl looked up at each other not knowing what to make of what just happened. Clearly the girl had been through something to make her react like that. Since they couldn't just leave her in the middle of the woods unconscious and she seemed like she could be a handy addition to the group with time and trust Daryl bent down to pick her up in his arms. She wasn't exactly light, the girl had some muscle, clearly she hadn't been starving, but he was able to walk easily enough with her in his arms. Rick picked up her huge rucksack and fetched her gun and the knife from the tree and they made their way back towards the prison. 

"She's a tough little thang ain't she," Daryl remarked. 

"That's for sure. I just hope that she'll come round a bit, can't have her around if she's always trying to kill us," Rick replied ruefully.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby woke up with difficulty, her head screamed in protest as she opened her eyes and she felt like the back of her head had been caved open. She looked up and saw what looked to be the bottom of a top bunk, confused, she looked around at her surroundings taking in a simple and bleak room. Struggling to sit up but managing it she turned to her left and saw what looked to be a cell door. Where the hell was she? She got to her feet and saw her backpack propped up against a desk, she didn't see any of her weapons, she patted her hip and noticed that her knife was gone, she no longer felt the knife that was in her boot either. She quickly crouched down and began removing the contents of her rucksack, but found that her axe was gone as well. Swearing to herself she got up once again and saw that someone had left a sandwich on a paper plate and a cup of water on the desk. Realising how parched she was she decided to forego the cup and bent down to get her water canteen, she sniffed at it and didn't think she smelt anything laced through it, but then again she wouldn't really know what that would smell like anyway.  
She walked towards the cell door and tried the doorknob. Locked. Sighing she tried to see beyond her cell room and found that she was looking at the inside of a prison. She was on the second floor and a balcony ran in front of her from end to end with a stair case at one end in front of a watch tower. She could hear the sounds of people milling about outside and within the building. What surprised her was the displaced sound of children's laughter, she hadn't heard that since before the end. Losing patience and wanting to find those bastards that had jumped her in the forest she called out.  
"Oi! Let me out of this goddamn cell!"  
At first nothing, then she heard footsteps approaching where she was, the weight rattled the mettle mesh that made the balcony. She took a step back and watched as Greybeard and Baby Blues stepped in front of her door. She glared at them with the fury of a thousand suns but that had little effect on them.  
"Good, you've woken up."  
"Yeah, I was expecting breakfast in bed but then I realised I'm in a fucking prison," Ruby replied cattily, crossing her arms across her chest.  
"Look, we couldn't leave you out in the woods unconscious and we were hoping that you'd maybe join our group," Greybeard said, ignoring her remark. "We've got tall fences, enough people to man them, we're growing crops and we've managed to thrive here, not just survive. We don't know what you've been through but I know that you could help to keep this place safe."  
Ruby considered what he said, it all sounded too good to be true. She wanted to see it all for herself and she told him that much.  
"Of course, we'll show you around, you're welcome to leave if that's what you really want.”  
He pulled out a set of keys and quickly unlocked her door. Since they could have killed her while she was unconscious Ruby decided she could trust them enough to not attack them. She followed them down the steps and she could see that nearly all of the cells had the marks of being lived in, sheets had been put over the doors for privacy and there were personal effects sitting on the desks and decorating the walls. Various people gazed at her but they didn't say anything and kept on doing what they were doing.  
"I'm Rick by the way, and this is Daryl."  
"Ruby," she replied, as they led her outside.  
Stepping out into the humid day was a shock to her eyes and she took a second to squint and get used to the sunlight. The walked through a courtyard and she saw a communal area set up under a roof where a few people were sitting and eating. Beyond them she looked down into a field where she could indeed see crops growing and there was even a sty full of little pigs. There were women walking around and children running about, this placed did seem genuine and Ruby couldn't believe that she might have something.  
A tall, black woman with dreads walked towards them with an easy smile, strapped across her back was what looked to be a Japanese katana sword. Ruby was impressed and relieved to see that the people were still allowed to be armed, at least they weren't stupid enough to believe they were safe enough to not require weapons.  
"Hi. You must be the new recruit," women said, with a deep rich voice.  
"She hasn't decided whether or not she's staying," Rick said quickly.  
"Well, I'm Michonne anyhow," she said with a friendly grin.  
Ruby found herself smiling back and she held out her hand and said, "I'm Ruby Harper."  
"Your accent, it's been a while since I've heard a different accent, where are you from?" She asked curiously.  
"Australia, actually," Ruby replied.  
"Wow! How'd you end up in middle-of-nowhere Georgia?" Michonne asked, while Rick and Daryl gazed at her with incredulity on their faces.  
"When I finished my degree I decided to come to the States and do a road trip, but it didn't exactly turn out like Easy Rider though," Ruby smirked. She noticed that Daryl had perked up at her motorcycle film reference.  
"Did you have a group at some point?" Rick inquired.  
"Nope, been on my own since day one," she replied sadly.  
All three of them looked shocked at hearing this and she envied them that they didn't have to survive on their own like she did.  
"I'm really sorry that you had to go through all of this on your own, especially so far away from family and friends," Michonne sympathised. "But that is seriously impressive that you've come all this way on your own, you'd make a great addition to our group if you decide to stay."  
Ruby said nothing to this but just smiled and nodded. She gazed around at the thing they had going here. She hadn't been part of a unit in so long, for months and months she had been alone, friendless and relying on herself to live. Here she could build trust in people, protect others for once, help to keep this place running. She suddenly held out her hand to Rick.  
"Alright, I can see that this place is legit and your people are thriving here. I'd like to be a part of it and help to protect what you have here."  
Rick smiled genuinely for the first time since they'd met and he grasped her hand firmly.  
"I'm really glad to hear it, Ruby."  
"So can I get my weapons back?" She asked bashfully.  
"Sure thing. Daryl, can you take her down to the armoury? Show her where the showers are and all that."  
Daryl nodded and started walking in the direction and she followed him back into the building. She soon realised that the prison was like a labyrinth of dim tunnels and various rooms. They didn't go too far before they came to an ordinary door, Daryl unlocked it and ushered her inside. He went to a table and handed her back her gun, slingshot, three knives and machete. He didn't speak much and Ruby didn't mind his quiet demeanour, she wasn't the type to fill silences with inane chatter. Daryl also gave her another clip full of bullets and she thanked him for it as she fastened her machete and knife back to the belt on her hip. She bent over and slipped the smallest knife back into her boot and then slipped the last knife back up her sleeve. Daryl watched as she tucked the gun into the back of her pants and he shook his head. He turned around for a second and riffled through a few items on the shelf.  
"Here you go, this'll make sure you don't shoot your ass with that gun," Daryl mumbled, holding out a thigh gun holster.  
Ruby grinned and took it from him with a word of thanks. She propped her right leg up on the desk and fastened it to her upper thigh, cinching it tight enough to not slip down if she were to run with it on. Slipping the gun into the holster she put her leg back down and couldn’t fight the grin that spread across her face; she felt like Lara Croft or something.  
Daryl started walking back out of the armoury and he locked the door once again. They turned back the way they had come and he showed her where the showers were and how to pump them to get water pressure. Ruby smiled gleefully at the thought of an actual shower instead of bathing in a river. When they went back outside into the bright sunlight Ruby reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes that she had there. She tapped on the bottom of it and grabbed two sticks, holding one out to Daryl. She saw his eyes widen slightly but he took it nonetheless and she struck a match and lit his first before she did hers. 

Daryl’s POV 

Ruby was a curious little thing. He was surprised when he heard that she was from Australia, he hadn’t expected to find a foreigner at the end of the world. He’d also been amazed that a girl as young as her would even know about the film Easy Rider, but the thought made him pull the corner of his mouth up. The girl was short, probably only five feet four, but hell, she was strong. Beneath her grimy black jeans and heavily stained flannel shirt she was packing some muscle. She had a curvaceous figure that left Daryl in no doubt that she would be getting a few admirers around camp. Her hair was wild and curly, the reddish tinge even more pronounced in the sunlight and now that she knew she didn’t have to fear them she was quick to smile.  
He’d been surprised when she had held out the cigarette for him to take but he wasn’t going to pass up a cigarette anytime soon. He watched Ruby as she deeply inhaled the tobacco and slowly let it out between her plump pink lips, she certainly was nice to look at, but the girl was probably half his age so he reigned in his thoughts and concentrated on smoking.  
“So how do things work around here? Does everyone have a job to do?” Ruby asks, exhaling smoke through her nostrils.  
“Pretty much, when we find out what skills you have we’ll put you to work,” Daryl replied, watching her as she gazed around the prison.  
Ruby snorted at hearing this, a wide grin brightening her features once again. “Please, I did a dual degree of Education and Arts with majors in English and History, I don’t have skills for nothing in this world.”  
“Well, you could help Carol with teaching the kids.”  
She pulled a face at that and took another drag, “Can’t I just go on guard duty or something? I only studied teaching so I could get a job and since I’m not getting paid the thought of teaching children is just far too domestic and boring.”  
Daryl thought about long hours in the watch tower with this girl and reckoned that it wouldn’t be that bad. “I’ll have a talk with Rick about it, but it’s always good to have more people on guard duty.”  
“Thanks Daryl, guess I owe you another cigarette.” Ruby flicked her butt to the ground and stubbed it out with the toe of her boot. “I’m gonna go have a shower, let me know if Rick gives me the go.”  
And she walked away, head held high, not nervous in the prison full of strangers. Daryl couldn’t help but watch her shapely ass in those tight jeans as she walked away. Taking a final pull of his cigarette, he exhaled with a sigh, he’d have to watch himself around that girl.


	3. Chapter 3

Ruby watched the sun rise over the tops of the trees, bathing them in golden, orange light. She was sitting up in the watch tower, her legs dangling over the edge of the balcony, smoking a cigarette. Behind her, Daryl was dozing inside the watch tower, they had shared the watch and it was now her time to watch for anything. It was only her third day at the prison but already she was settling into the routine, she was growing used to seeing the same faces everyday, re-integrating herself in a life as regular as one could have in the apocalypse. She hadn't memorised everyone's names yet, there were so many of them, but she liked the people that she interacted with daily. Glenn and Maggie had fast become her good friends here. They were all around the same age and it almost felt normal to joke about with them, as if they were friends at university and not relying on each other to have their backs. She got along well with Michonne as well, but didn't have the same opportunity to spend time with her as she was focused on looking for the Governor. 

She'd heard from all of them about what the Governor had done to them and his former people of Woodbury. To put it bluntly, the guy sounded like a complete wanker and Ruby had a sick feeling that they hadn't seen the last of him. Since the enemy had disappeared, most of the people were now less militant; helping out on the farm and keeping the walkers on the fence at bay. Ruby was glad that she was now one of the guards at the prison and she couldn't wait to go on a supply run so she could show them what she could do. For right now, everything felt like a trial run, and Daryl was the unlucky one who had to supervise her. He didn't seem that pleased with being stuck with the job but he didn't say anything about it and did his job obediently. Ruby was steadily whittling him down, patiently testing the waters between them and waiting for the day when Daryl would be friendly with her. From the impressions she gathered from everyone at the prison, especially those from Woodbury, he was something of a quiet hero. He hunted for food, brought back fresh meat for them to enjoy and never asked for anything in return. Not only that but he seemed to be Rick's right hand man without even realising that their leader trusted him implicitly. Daryl was fascinating to observe and Ruby was secretly happy that he was babysitting her.  

She got up from where she had been sitting for half the night and went inside to wake Daryl. She knelt beside the sleeping man and gazed down at his sleeping face. When he was awake Daryl was almost always frowning and squinting but in sleep his face was unlined and peaceful. Ruby smiled at his sleeping form, taking in his soft lips that were slightly parted and the gentle rise of his chest. Her hand reached out to grasp his shoulder and without warning his hand locked on her wrist and suddenly she was on her back with Daryl kneeling over her, his hands restraining her own by his head. Too stunned to speak she just lay there beneath his heavy body, their chests touching, both panting heavily. She felt something pressing into her thigh and she thought it must be a knife of Daryl's but she slowly realised that it was warm and firm and bigger than the knife Daryl carried. A blush crept up onto her cheeks and soon Daryl eyes filled with recognition and she felt his hands loosen on her wrists and he was suddenly gone. Her body felt cold after being pressed so close to his warm body. She got to her feet and turned around to see that Daryl was quickly gathering his gun and making his way to the door. 

"I'm sorry for startling you, I guess next time I'll just yell your name." 

Daryl froze by the door and half turned his head, she could see that his cheek was flushed and she had to bite her lip to stop from smirking. He just grunted in her direction then kept walking. Ruby rolled her eyes. It was hardly a big deal, unlike what Daryl was packing in his trousers. She let out a laugh at her thoughts and grabbed her rifle before following Daryl down to where Carol was serving up breakfast. Ruby smiled at the woman as she handed her a bowl of last night's venison that Daryl had hunted. She saw Patrick speaking to Daryl before he slapped his hand into the teenager's in a handshake. She wondered what that was all about and focused on eating. She glanced back and saw Carol and Daryl walking away and she felt a twinge in her stomach at the sight. Ruby noticed that Patrick had been staring at her and when he realised he'd been caught in doing so he blushed furiously and turned away concentrating on cooking. Ruby smiled to herself, she had a man who couldn't bear to be near her and a boy that was probably sporting a semi at the thought of her boobies. Even during the apocalypse, hormones ruled teenage boys. When she was finished eating she washed her bowl and walked back to where Patrick was pretending to be focused on cooking. She decided to have a little fun with the boy and gave him a flirty smile as she handed him back the bowl. His eyes widened for a second before he shyly tried to return the smile but it turned out to be more of a grimace. She winked and then turned around to see where Daryl had gone off to and find out what was on for the day. 

She saw him by one of the cars clearly getting ready to go on a supply run. Ruby saw that Michonne had returned and she gave the woman a grin before making her way towards the group heading out. Sasha, one of the councillors, was standing beside her brother Tyreese and she looked like she had just given Bob permission to come along. Zach was talking to Beth for he too seemed to be coming and Ruby hoped that she would be allowed to come. She walked up to Daryl who clearly tried to make himself look busy as he checked his crossbow, she rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. 

"Hey man, mind if I tag along," she asked with an easy smile. 

"We've already got enough people, and you haven't been on a supply run yet so, no," he grunted, still not looking directly at her. She blew out an angry sigh and realised she'd have to play dirty. 

"Come on," she moaned, almost making her voice seductive. "Why you have to make it so  _hard_. I can handle myself out there, I'm a big girl. Let me come, and I'll show you what I can do," she said, winking at him. 

Daryl's eyes widened just a fraction and then his cheeks went pink. "Fine. Just shut up about that alright?" 

She smiled widely and thanked him before walking over to Sasha to let her know that she was coming too. Sasha appraised her with keen eyes when Ruby informed her that Daryl said she was coming too. Apparently satisfied with what she saw she told Daryl to take Ruby on the back of his motorcycle as there wouldn't be enough room in the car for all seven of them. Daryl looked as if he'd rather strangle himself but he just turned away to where he kept his bike. Ruby followed him and admired the vehicle, it looked a little worse for wear but knowing Daryl, and his need to keep his possessions in working order, it probably ran like a dream. Daryl handed her his crossbow as she would be sitting behind him and she pulled the heavy weapon over her head, positioning the strap between her breasts. Daryl quickly turned away from the sight and swung one leg over the motorcycle, she did the same and wrapped her arms around his middle, firmly, but not tightly. She loved riding motorbikes, her dad had had one when she was little and he would always let her ride with him, her love of the machines eventually led to her getting her motorcycle license but she doubted Daryl would ever let her drive his. They slowly made their way down the slope towards the prison gate and she smiled at Rick and Carl as they drove by. Rick gave them a most curious look but before she could analyse it Daryl had shifted into second gear and they sped forward, moving away from the prison. 

Ruby smiled as she looked over Daryl's broad shoulder, it had been so long since she'd been on a motorbike, she loved the the wind in her hair and she feel of the vehicle between her thighs. She let out a laugh and Daryl stole a quick glance at her over his shoulder clearly thinking she was mad. 

"You never been on a bike before?" Daryl grunted. 

"I practically grew up on one, my dad would always take me for rides on his Harley Davidson Super Glide II when I was little. Only reason I got my driver's license was so I could go for my bike license," Ruby replied, making sure her mouth was up against Daryl's ear, she couldn't help teasing him. 

Daryl just grunted in reply, it sounded like resigned respect. They continued on the road, passing long abandoned homes and shops, heading for the store that they had yet to hit.

"So now that you know that I'm not just a Moll, will you let me drive home?" 

"Hell no," Daryl growled. 

Ruby sighed and snuggled in closer to Daryl, it was worth a try. When they reached the large store Ruby hopped off the bike and quickly handed Daryl his crossbow back. He took it without a word and went to stand with the others as they gathered themselves before heading inside one by one, weapons up. In formation, they took down the walkers in the store. They split up to gather supplies, each heading down a different aisle. Ruby grabbed anything that could be of use. She was beginning to think that this supply run would go off without a hitch when she heard something crashing several aisles down from her. She sprinted over and saw that two shelves had fallen over and that Bob was trapped underneath. They all started lifting the shelves up off of him when the ceiling caved in and down fell a walker, suspended in the air, hanging by his own intestines. 

Ruby pulled out her machete and looked around, now with the sunlight, she was able to see the state of decay that the ceiling was in. As soon as she realised this, another walker dropped down through the ceiling, then another. Ruby quickly started lifting the second shelf as the others started running to take down the walkers. She heard growling from behind her and she stopped lifting, turned around and swung her machete, slicing through the skull of the walker. She saw another ahead and she walked away from Bob to take it down. The walker toppled over onto her and she struggled to get the thing off of her while reaching for her knife to stab it in the head. By the time she got back to Bob, gun fire was ringing through the store and people were yelling. Ahead of her she saw that a walker was crawling towards Bob trapped underneath the shelf, the walker was on the opposite side from her and Bob had nothing to defend himself with. She measured the distance quickly then took a running leap, launching herself over the shelf and arriving just before Daryl, she delivered a swift kick to the walker and took away half it's skull with her boot. 

Zach lifted the shelf just enough for Daryl to drag Bob out while Ruby covered them, her back to them as she faced the walkers around them. She looked up and was shocked to see a motherfucking helicopter slowly destroying the ceiling with its weight. Within minutes it would be crushing them and she screamed for them to hurry up, turning around she was just in time to see a walker bite Zach's calf muscle. They all watched helplessly as he fell over and the walker crawled over his prone body to bite his neck. Before they could kill Zach out of mercy the groaning ceiling decided it had had enough and the helicopter began crashing down towards them. They all sprinted for the door of the store, remaining walkers chasing after them, Ruby hopped onto the bike and started the engine, as soon as she felt Daryl behind her she released the clutch and sped away from the destroyed store. 

She felt Daryl trembling behind her and she quickly slipped a hand from the handle bar and squeezed his hand on her belly before concentrating on getting them back to the prison. His arms tightened around her briefly before they relaxed again. By the time the reached the prison and Ruby was able to see Daryl's face, a calm mask had been brought over his features and she could not detect any sign of distress. He mumbled something about going to tell Beth and she nodded and let him go. Her heart went out to him but she knew that pursuing to talk to him would only get an irritable response.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would be ever so grateful if you could please check out my first attempt at personal blogging. I will be posting excerpts from my diaries, a collection of my thoughts on anxiety, life and my earliest sexual experiences. They're funny, subjectively well-written and a hundred percent experienced by me! You would be doing me such an honour if you could please read it! Thanks to everyone who have been reading all of the stories I've posted on here, if you'd like a change of pace and something non-fiction then please have a look at my own sexual experiences. You'll get a laugh of of it, I promise! https://plantscatsandstories.wordpress.com/2017/03/16/first-blog-post/

Daryl was lying on the bed he had dragged into the office perch in the Cell Block, despite the fact that he was glad that Beth wasn't devastated by Zach's death, he was still slightly disturbed by her nonchalance. He had been more upset about her boyfriend's death than she was, and that wasn't just because he had grown fond of the kid's determination to guess what he had been  _before._  He was upset because he had let the kid down, he hadn't been watching out for him like he should have been. He knew it was ridiculous to think that he had to be everywhere, looking out for everyone's backs, but he did, it couldn't be helped. His self-pitying, wallowing session was cut short when someone knocked on the frosted glass pane on the door. Daryl sighed then grunted an affirmative for the person to interrupt. 

The door opened and there stood Ruby, her wild hair tied up by a scrap of fabric, and a plate of food in her hand. She smiled and walked over to him, he reached out and took the plate from her, murmuring his thanks. He looked down at the plate, leftover venison and cous-cous, something he had never eaten until the apocalypse happened. To his surprise Ruby didn't leave and instead hopped up onto the desk and pulled out her cigarettes and lit one up. Daryl began to eat his food not looking up at the girl who had apparently decided to make herself comfortable in his space. Over the past few days he had gotten used to her somewhat brazen confidence, it wasn't that she was an overbearing presence, she just simply seemed to be comfortable in whatever situation she found herself in. Daryl felt his cheeks burn as he remembered how she had barely batted an eyelid when he had tackled her to the ground after she had woken him up, not even his morning wood had startled her. As he chewed his food he looked up at her through the strands of hair that had fallen over his eyes, she was leaning her back against the window of the office, one leg drawn up to her chest, the other swinging freely. She seemed perfectly at ease sitting their in his makeshift room, not saying a word and Daryl appreciated it. He knew that she had been concerned about him after what had happened to Zach and he had been thankful that she hadn't pursued the issue earlier. But now she was offering up companionship as a way of comfort for his troubles and he found her subtle tenderness a relief to everyone else's insistence of talking about their problems.

* * *

Ruby had stayed in the communal area for a while after finishing her dinner, waiting for the appearance of Daryl. But after a while it was clear that the man wasn't going to come out of his office perch, so she served him a plate of dinner and walked up to his "room". Pausing outside the door, she wondered what kind of mood she'd find the enigmatic man in. Deciding she may as well give him his dinner, she knocked on the door and opened it when she heard him grunt from within. He sat up on his bed when she walked in, thanked her for the food and began to eat. She smiled to herself when his blue eyes widened slightly when he saw that she wasn't leaving but they both said nothing.

She made herself at home, perched on the desk and smoking, while Daryl ate his food. Ever since getting back to the prison she had been contemplating the best way to check in on Daryl. Given his private nature, she decided that outright forcing him to talk about Zach would just blow up in her face. Instead she would just keep him company, like how they were on watch together, silently keeping to themselves but still comforting presences to one another. Her thoughts drifted to when she had woken up Daryl and how it had felt to have his body pressed up against hers. Daryl was extremely attractive, from his bright blue eyes to his silky soft looking hair, the way he carried himself. Everything about him attracted her attention and his age didn't bother her in the slightest, especially since this was the apocalypse, beggars can't be choosers. And even if she did have more options, Daryl was a genuinely good person, Ruby knew that even if the world was normal and they had met at some bar, she'd still think he was a stand up guy. 

When Daryl finished eating she tossed him a cigarette with a grin, "There's dessert." 

The side of his mouth pulled up as he lit up and she couldn't help the pride she felt at managing to make him smile, even if it was, by anyone else's standards, a small one. Smoke billowed out of Daryl's mouth, Ruby pretended not to notice how hot he looked while smoking; she was here to make sure he was alright, not to fawn over him like a puppy. 

"So, how'd it go with Beth?"

Daryl looked up at her, with his usual narrow-eyed look and took another draw before replying, "Alright, I suppose. Bad news is bad news no matter who it comes from." 

Ruby stuck the cigarette in her mouth, her hands retying the makeshift ribbon in her hair. She never thought that the lack of hair ties would be a cause for frustration in the apocalypse. Satisfied that her unruly hair was once again bound up as well as it could be she looked Daryl in the eye and asked, "And how are you going?"

She fully expected Daryl to brush off her concern with a flippant reply so she was surprised with his reply. 

"Fine, I guess. I just wish I'd turned around a second sooner. Or that he'd never come with us in the first place." 

"Daryl, you were saving Bob from the same fate, no one can be in two places at once." 

"Yeah, I know." 

They let the silence encompass them once more, Ruby tossed him another cigarette when she noticed he'd finished his. He looked bemused as he picked it up and lit it. 

"You raid a cigarette factory when this all went down? You been sharing them with me since you got here and you still don't look like you're running out." 

Ruby laughed at this and shook her head. 

"You wouldn't believe how cheap cigarettes were here compared to in Australia. I bought a carton at the beginning of my trip and I've just been slowly going through them. I've only got what's left of this pack and one other. After that you'll have to find someone else to bum off, and so will I, I guess."

"Hey, I never asked for nothing, you just kept handing them to me," Daryl replied with smirk.

"True, I guess I've just always been generous with my smokes, it's how you make friends, even in the apocalypse it seems."

"You wouldn't be friends with my old ass if we had met before this all went down." 

"Please, you're like, what 41? I was friends with the "mature age" students in my classes, I'd have a beer with them."

"Like hell, you'd pass up hanging with people your own age to hang out with me," Daryl quipped. 

"Well since you're hotter than any 23 year old I hung out with, yes, I would." 

Daryl coughed on the smoke he was in the midst of exhaling and Ruby grinned. When he had cleared his throat he had seemed to shrink back into himself. Ruby rolled her eyes and leapt off the desk to punch him in the arm. "Jesus, lighten up. So I think you're attractive, it's not like the world's going to end twice." 

After a little teasing and prompting, Daryl relaxed once more and they spent a while talking and enjoying each other's company. Ruby thought she heard someone coughing violently at one point but she shrugged it off, figuring that they just had asthma or something. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning about halfway through. Nothing too graphic but if you feel you won't handle it then please skip it.

When Ruby woke in her cell the next morning, she couldn't help but smile at the progress she had made with Daryl last night. Their conversation had been about more than just perimeter checks or supply runs; they'd gotten to know each other a little better. The day was already getting warm and she huffed as she pulled her jeans back on. Collecting her weapons, she strapped her belt on with the sheaths for her knife and machete, she slipped the little dagger into her boot and tightened the gun holster around her thigh. Ruby headed over to the shaded area for breakfast and sat down enjoying her bowl of creamy porridge, or oatmeal, as the Americans called it. In the distance she could see Rick and Carl tending to the crops and Michonne about to head off on another man hunt for the Governor. It was at this peaceful moment that gunshots suddenly tore through the morning and Ruby immediately stood up pulling out her machete from the holster on her back. Two girls ran out of Cell Block D and she assumed that's where the trouble was so she sprinted towards the building, joined by Daryl and Glenn. When they stepped into the dim building they could see chaos erupting in front of them, there were walkers attacking people and they were tripping over each other trying to escape death. 

Ruby jumped into the fray and started slicing through the heads of all the walkers unfortunate enough to cross paths with her. Within minutes the building is clear of the walkers and left in its wake is pure, undiluted misery, people are crying in distress over their fallen friends and Ruby could only look on, not feeling anything for these people she never got the chance to know. She walked out of the building but not before meeting the eyes of Daryl, he seemed to ask if she was all right without ever uttering a word and she just gave him a brisk nod before leaving the way she came. Needing to take her mind off of the stress she had just endured she sat down in a shaded spot and began cleaning the blade of her machete with a rag from her pocket. She wondered how the walkers got into the prison, Rick had assured her that it was safe and yet something as terrible as this had happened. Feeling suddenly queasy Ruby bent over and threw up the breakfast she had eaten not twenty minutes ago. When she no longer felt like retching she straightened up and was surprised to see Daryl standing there looking, if she didn't know any better, worried. 

"I'm fine, just wasn't ready to face brains so soon after breakfast," she joked weakly. 

Daryl gave her a look like he didn't buy it but didn't say anything and just passed her a bottle of water. Ruby took it gratefully and swilled it around in her mouth before spitting it out onto the pavement. 

"Doc says there's some kinda disease going around, that's how they became walkers. Weren't bit, just choked on their own blood, died and then turned. So now, since we were all in that damn building, we're at risk of being infected." 

Ruby took this in and wondered what it would be like to die that way, pretty awful she imagined. Well she had a chance of getting killed by walkers and now she had a chance of getting a deadly virus, didn't change the fact that she was always in danger. She said as much to Daryl and he seemed surprised that she wasn't freaking out but he also seemed to agree with her, all the odds that they faced now was just taken in stride, there was no point in losing it over every bad thing that went wrong. Daryl pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket and took two out, offering one to Ruby, she grinned and accepted it from him, letting him lean close to light it for her. The smell of him hit her hard and she tried very hard not to visibly inhale deeply his scent of pine, oil, smoke and sweat. Daryl's smell was intoxicating and she wanted nothing more than to bury her face in his neck and just hide there, wait out the apocalypse from the safety of Daryl's warmth and smell. 

* * *

 Daryl's POV

As unsettling as it was that their people had been attacked in the place where they thought they could safely sleep, and as distressing as it was to cut down their former people, through the entire debacle Daryl had kept his eye on Ruby. He couldn't stop himself from needing to know where she was, that she wasn't being overwhelmed, that she was still standing. He found himself admiring the way she moved, killing was a notoriously ugly thing but she made it look like a graceful dance. After he had finished all the walkers around him he stopped to watch Ruby take down her last one. He watched in awe as she spun and landed a roundhouse kick into the chest of a walker, knocking it to the ground and he admired the way her strong arms brought her machete down in a graceful arch slicing the walker's head in half. The whole motion looked effortless and Daryl was once again reminded of the fact that she had survived this whole bloody mess on her own since day one, no one to watch her back, no one to tend her injuries, and yet here she was, strong and seemingly invincible. 

But then she had turned around and he saw in her eyes that she wasn't okay, and it wasn't because she was mourning for the people who had died, he wasn't even sure if she had ever even spoken to these people. But she gave him a stoic nod that would have convinced anyone else if they hadn't recognised the look in her eyes, it was the same look that Rick had sometimes, something haunted her and he resolved himself to check on her as soon as he found out what the hell was going on here. 

After talking to the others in the grim aftermath of that disaster Daryl walked out of the building into the blinding sunshine and looked about, searching for the curly mess of hair that belonged to Ruby. He didn't have to look for long, she was sitting in the shadow of a building and wiping her machete, looking into the distance of the forest. Then suddenly she was on her hands and knees and retching the contents of her stomach, he ran over and reached her just as she had finished throwing up. She got to her feet and looked up to see him, surprise entering her eyes and he looked at the pallor of her slightly sweaty face. She made a joke and he wasn't surprised to see a mask being pulled over the haunted look on her face. He handed her the bottle of water that had been in his back pocket for the entire and watched as she rinsed her mouth out before spitting the water onto the ground beside her puddle of sick. He filled her in on what they had all discovered in the building and he watched as the news registered in her but did nothing to faze her. Ruby gave her reasoning about why the news didn't make a difference and he found himself agreeing with her, neither of them could let the horridity of the situation stop them from doing their jobs; people relied on them. 

Deciding she probably needed it, he pulled out his worn packet of cigarettes from his pocket and offered her one, pleased with the smile that lit up her face when she saw it. Never had he really cared about making someone happy, except for Beth, Judith and Carol, but he found himself wanting to always keep that smile on Ruby's face, keep the dark look from creeping into her eyes. He leaned over her tiny height and lit her cigarette, as he did so he caught a whiff of her hair and inhaled deeply as he smelt the citrus and almond scent of it, he could also smell her clean sweat and the combination of her smell mixed with the smell of her shampoo was heavenly. He wanted nothing more than to pull the young woman to his chest, bury his face in her hair and protect the little thing. But he backed up a step instead and lit his own cigarette watching as Ruby inhaled deeply, her eyes closing in bliss and slowly letting the smoke out through her nostrils, his eyes crinkled at her little button nose. Daryl decided that watching Ruby smoke was now one of his favourite things to do, she could make a nun smoke with how good it looked on her. The way her pink pouty lips exhaled the smoke, the way her cheek bones became more prominent when she inhaled, her delicate little hand holding the cigarette between her fore and middle fingers. Ruby was beautiful, plain and simple, but in this world that was a dangerous thing, he could only imagine the kinds of things that could have befallen her had she still been out there alone. 

"Did you ever come across people when you were out there?" Daryl found himself asking. 

Her big doe brown eyes flicked over to him and he felt like he was starting into vats of melted chocolate, her eyes exuded warmth. 

"Yes, a few groups offered me places but I always turned them down, they didn't have permanent camps and I just thought I'd be able to survive better on my own," Ruby replied, blowing smoke. 

"But when we found you, and you pulled your gun up to your head, seemed like you had come across real bad people out there," Daryl asked, quietly this time so as not to spook her. 

Ruby's eyes suddenly went cold, like a fire gone out, darkening so much that he could barely make out her pupils, they looked black. 

"I was hitting a store, couple months into this shit storm, and I thought I could just slip into the front grab what I could and be out of there without scouting out the place. I was an arrogant little shit and I paid for it. As I was crouched down grabbing something from the bottom shelf someone came up behind me and hit me over the head, knocked me out." 

Daryl felt his body go cold as he listened to Ruby's story, her voice going deeper and colder, it sent chills rippling down his back. 

"When I came to not much time had passed, the guy had dragged me into the store rooms at the back of the store where the trucks deliver the food. My hands were tied, my mouth gagged and some bastard was undressing me. I looked around and realised there were two other men in the room and that's when I started to panic, my pack was on the far side of the room along with my weapons. I started struggling and the guys began beating me telling me to just relax, that it didn't have to be painful. I began pleading with them, I was begging for them not to do it, I'd give them all my shit if would just please not do it. But my mouth was gagged and they wouldn't have heard a word anyway. They took turns, defiling my body, bending it to their will. I just closed my eyes and prayed it would end soon. When they were finally finished they pretty much passed out, fucking cunts were exhausted from raping me. I waited for them all to sleep before I crawled over to my pack, it took forever because I was trying to be quiet, I didn't know if they had someone outside the door keeping watch. When I reached my machete I had to balance it so I could cut my bonds and when I finally got my hands free I picked it up. I swear I was seeing red, nothing existed except to kill those fuckers for what they did to me, I hacked the head of the first guy that had raped me. He died in his sleep, lucky bastard. But the noise woke up the other two and they seemed surprised by what I had done, as if it had never occurred to them that I would kill them for what they did, and maybe it didn't. The second guy swung his axe but I was invincible, my own fury fuelling me and I danced past him and buried my blade into the back of his skull. When I knocked the third guy's weapon out of his hands he began begging for his life, he was young, maybe younger than me, he kept going on about how the other two made him do it. But I knew he had been enjoying himself when he was inside me, he loved my screams and he licked my tears. I slit his throat, I wanted him to suffer as a walker until someone put him down. He didn't deserve the peaceful deaths his friends received. But I can still feel their hands on me. I can still feel their hate." 

Daryl felt tears prick his eyes as he watched Ruby, tears streaming down her face, she seemed unaware that she was weeping. He wished those fuckers were still alive just so he could kill them himself, kill them slowly, make them suffer a fraction of what they made Ruby suffer. She looked so lost standing there with her long expired cigarette still between her fingers. He moved forward and caught her in his arms, he felt her small arms go around his torso and she clutched him like a vice, again he was taken aback by the strength of this woman, both physically and mentally. She had been through fucking hell and yet she still smiled more than half the people at the prison, more than him that's for sure. He felt her begin to sob into his chest and his heart clenched as he saw the first signs of weakness in this woman. He stroked her hair, the softness of her curls soothed his hands that were so used to harshness. He held her close, stroked her hair and shushed her, the actions coming instinctively to him and after a while he felt her quiet down, but she stayed in his arms, an action which surprised him but filled his heart with a warmth he'd never felt before. Eventually Ruby pulled away from him and he had to force his arms to let her go, when he saw her face, it was blotched and her eyes were bloodshot but she gave him a watery smile and he thought that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He mentioned something about digging graves for the dead to her and she nodded saying that she wanted to help him. But before they could start towards the field that served as a graveyard, Ruby stood up on her tiptoes and brushed a soft kiss on his rough cheek. He felt a blush spread over his face and she gave him the sweetest smile before turning away and heading in the direction of the field. 

* * *

Ruby's POV

Telling Daryl hadn't been expected but knowing that he knew it and seeing that he still looked at her the same way did wonders in healing her wounds. She had never felt so safe as she did when she had been in his arms, the warmth she felt was unmatched by a fire and the strength of his arms felt more secure than the fences around the prison. Pulling away from him had been one of the hardest things she had ever done, and when she did she almost burst out crying again when she saw the compassion and care in Daryl's eyes instead of disgust. So she let herself do something she never should have had the guts for and she kissed Daryl's cheek, his stubble tickling her lips but she wanted to feel it everywhere. When she pulled away the effect of her kiss manifested immediately, she decided that she would try to make Daryl blush more, there was nothing more sexy than a strong, capable man disarmed from a single peck on the cheek. 

They began digging the graves in a comfortable silence both lost in their own thoughts as the repetitive work grounded them. Ruby turned around when she heard footsteps and saw Rick walking towards them with a look on his face that said he needed to talk to Daryl privately. She put her shovel down and walked past Rick nodding at him, and he seemed surprised that he didn't even have to ask but also grateful. Ruby went to the edge of the field and kicked dirt with her boot while she waited for the two men to finish speaking. But she never found out how long that conversation would have gone because it was cut short by Maggie screaming for them to follow her. Ruby began sprinting towards her, Rick and Daryl not far behind, as she ran her eyes scanned the area trying to figure out what the problem was but then she saw the large group of walkers converging on the fence, the chain link bowing inwards with the weight of the walkers. Tyreese and Sasha reach Maggie as she does and they all pick up the spikes to kill the walkers, but the bodies begin piling up and soon there's more walkers pushing against the fence. They all begin pushing back against the fence trying fruitlessly to hold the fence up, Daryl is shooting walkers but that does nothing but create literal dead weight. Soon the fence is practically on top of them and they have to get out Maggie is behind her still trying to hold it up when Ruby hears the creak of the fence, without thinking she grabs Maggie by the belt and throws her out from underneath the fence just as it collapses on top her. 

Ruby hears everyone yelling for her but she's winded and she can barely groan back, everything is black but she can feel the fingers of walkers touching her, she closes her eyes in revulsion and waits for the sinking of teeth into her flesh. But then someone is lifting the corner of the fence and another person is pulling her arm, dragging her out of death's reach. She feel the rocks scraping her skin but she doesn't even care, she's kicking with her feet and then finally she's out of the dark and back in the sunlight. Daryl immediately starts checking her for bites and scratches, she lets him, wondering if the adrenaline is masking the pain of a bite. But then she hears him sigh in relief and pulls her to him, she hugs him back just as fiercely, thanking whatever deities there were for her bullshit good luck. She sees Rick over the shoulder of Daryl looking at them with an inscrutable look on his face, perhaps he was just surprised by Daryl caring about her when they hadn't known each other that long and he barely showed this much affection to those he had known for ages. Ruby couldn't help but feel special and she hid her smile in Daryl's neck, not minding that it was a bit damp with sweat, he smelt even better here and she inhaled deeply letting his scent wash over her. When Daryl finally let go he was immediately replaced by Maggie, who hugged her just as strongly, she kept saying thank you and Ruby kept saying it was no trouble at all, but she was lying and everyone knew it. She'd risked her life for someone else and she didn't know how to cope with the gratitude everyone was showing her. 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that Ruby was singing, it's really beautiful, you should give it a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89SUh2d4pd0

Ruby woke up the next morning in the worst pain, her entire right side was bruised from the fence falling on her yesterday and she winced as she got up and got changed into a pair of shorts and a light cotton singlet. It was farr too hot to wear anything with more material and she doubted she would be doing anything strenuous when she felt like she'd been put through a meat grinder. She pulled on her heavy leather boots and strapped her weapons to her body, the strap of her leg holster feeling rough against her bare skin, then walked down to the eating area. Maggie was just getting up from her table when she saw Ruby walking towards her, she gave a big grin and waved a hand at her appearance with a laugh. 

"Showing enough skin there, Ruby?" 

Ruby looked down at herself and realised the you could see her belly button as the singlet was several sizes too small. 

"It's not my fault it's so damn hot in this bloody state, and anyway, pulling on longer clothes would have hurt way too much, check out my bruises, man." Ruby turned to show Maggie her right side and the young woman gasped as she took in the large dark purple bruises that mottled her body from the tops of her arms until the disappeared underneath her socks. 

"Oh my goodness, Ruby! I didn't know you were hurt so badly! How are you even walking around!"

"It's not that bad, it only hurts if I move at all, or breathe or stand still," Ruby replied cheekily, breaking into laughter at Maggie's horrified look at her dark humour. "Honestly though, I'll be fine, I'll just take it easy for a couple of days. 

Maggie looked unsure but she nodded, gave Ruby a warm smile and hugged her gently, "I'm so grateful to you." 

Ruby smiled back at her and nodded, not knowing what to say to the raw emotion in Maggie's eyes. When she left Ruby turned towards the large pot of porridge and served herself a bowl of breakfast. 

* * *

Daryl's POV 

Daryl was just coming back from watch duty and heading towards the eating area when he saw Ruby and Maggie hugging tightly. He hung back, not wanting to encroach on their moment and just watched the two women. But then he actually processed what Ruby was wearing and he wished he hadn't decided to have a second breakfast, the girl was showing so much skin he was worried about Hershel having a heart attack if he saw her. She was wearing denim shorts that only came down to the tops of her muscular thighs and the only thing covering her torso was the skimpiest little white singlet he'd ever seen, the fabric looked like it was struggling to keep the damn girl covered as it stretched across her ample chest and revealed that she was wearing a red bra underneath. He felt his cock stir at the view she was providing him with and he blushed deeply even though he hadn't been spotted yet. 

He watched as the girls let go of each other and saw them go separate ways and he admired the way Ruby walked with such confidence, her gait almost a strut, her hips swaying and her shoulders set back, head held high. But as she walked he noticed a slight hitch in her step and that's when he made out the bruises that covered the entire right side of her body. The bruises ranged from dark red to purple and look damn painful, he was surprised that she was even walking around and he swore at her stubbornness. He walked up to her and she turned around when she heard him approach, a smile lit up her features when she saw him and he almost buckled at the thought that she was pleased to see him, no one was ever pleased to see him unless they wanted something from him. But here she was, giving him her brightest smile, eyes crinkled, full red lips stretched, white teeth showing, she was beautiful. 

"What the hell you doing walking around like you didn't almost die yesterday dressed in nothing but your underwear?" Daryl growled at her, not meaning to sound so harsh but unable to take it back. 

He watched helplessly as Ruby's smile disappeared like the sun behind clouds. 

"I'm fine Daryl and these are clothes, I'm not walking around in my panties and bra!" Ruby shot back. Daryl's mind was suddenly invaded by the image of Ruby walking towards in him in lingerie, her breasts heaving, almost spilling over her bra, her gorgeously plump ass cheeks bared to him and separated by the thing strip of fabric of her thong, that confident walk of hers as she strutted towards him with that smile on her face. He quickly erased that from his mind, not wanting to get any harder in public. 

"Really? Could've fooled me, you're showing more skin than a stripper," Daryl replied. 

"Wow, did you just call me a stripper? You know what, fuck you Daryl, I was having a great day until you showed up. And that's saying something considering I feel like one giant fucking bruise!" Ruby yelled at him, then she turned away and stormed off, throwing her bowl of food to the ground, the plastic hitting the pavement hard and the contents spilling out in a splatter all over the ground. 

As soon as she disappeared from sight he immediately felt guilty, he didn't mean to be such a prick but seeing her dressed like that frustrated him, and he told himself it wasn't because he was worried about the other men seeing her dressed like that. No, he wasn't jealous. He quickly picked up her bowl and refilled it, filling another bowl for himself and went to go find her, wanting to apologise as soon as possible. He went to her room first but didn't see her there, so he scanned the fields for her and then went to see if she was in the bathroom, but he didn't find her. He was about to give up his search and was heading downstairs from another sweep of the cells when he heard singing. He followed it to the end of the corridor to an open door that led to the stairs the went up to the roof. He'd never heard anyone singing at the prison besides Beth and this wasn't her, the song wasn't even in English and the voice was a little deeper, earthier somehow and rich, it sent shivers running up his spine. 

He walked to the top of the stairs and stepped into the sunlight shining down upon the roof of the Cell Block, he turned around and saw Ruby sitting on the edge of the roof, her legs dangling down and a lit cigarette between her fingers. She continued singing, in whatever language it was and Daryl made sure not to make a sound, he didn't want her to stop singing, she had such a beautiful voice and the foreign language gave it an unearthly tone. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard, her voice was so pure and haunting, she conveyed every emotion she was feeling in her voice and he almost felt tears prick his eyes as he heard the deep sadness in her tone. He wanted to come up behind her and wrap her in his arms, protect her from any pain, comfort her and cherish her. When she finished the song he almost cried out, mourning the loss of her voice, the silence enveloping him in a sadness he couldn't explain. But then she turned around and when she saw him she scowled, her eyes cutting him with their fierceness. 

"What the hell are you doing here, Dixon. I thought I was too much of a stripper to be seen around with, wouldn't want to ruin your calibre reputation," Ruby said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm sorry I said that, Ruby, I was just angry that you were up and walking when your so hurt. And, I didn't want any of the guys getting the wrong impression about you, I mean you're still new and I don't want them thinking you're something you're not," Daryl replied quietly, meaning every word.

Ruby sighed the anger visibly leaving her body, her shoulders losing their tension and her hands relaxing. "It's fine Daryl, I get it, you're just protecting me. But you don't have to be such a dick about it next time. And the only reason I'm wearing this is because it'd hurt too much to wear anything that touches my skin."

Daryl sighed in relief and handed her the bowl of porridge, she smiled as she took it and sat down leaning against the low wall of the roof's edge, Daryl sat down next to her and they ate in comfortable silence. He was amazed with how easily she forgave him, he knew that he could carry grudges with him, letting them fester until they hurt him more than the person the grudge was against. But Ruby just forgave him as soon as he apologised, everything was back to normal with them and he gave a small smile with how easy everything was with her. When they finished eating they put their bowls down, still sitting side by side enjoying the breeze they were getting up there. Ruby moved to straighten her legs out in front of her and he saw when she flinched heavily at the motion.

"Here, lie down on your left side and I'll check those for you. I know a thing or two about bruises and I know you didn't go to see Hershel, stubborn girl."

Ruby rolled her eyes at him but she did as he asked, lying down in front of him on her left side. He almost lost his breath as he saw how the position made her curves even more noticeable, the dip in her small waist, then sloping up to the curve of her ass, before flowing down the length of her thigh. She wasn't a straight angle anywhere, the girl packed muscle but she was also soft and so damn curvacious. He moved closer to her and began to gently prod her bruises, checking her hip to see if she had fractured anything, he kept an eye on her face to know whether or not she was in pain. But she had her eyes closed and she was breathing normally so he continued, brushing his fingers over the darkened skin. She must have been in a lot of pain, he didn't think even he had ever had quite such nasty bruising, or over such a large area. He kept his touches gentle as he continued looking, unable to ignore just how soft her skin was, she was practically hairless and he wondered if she had Asian heritage somewhere in her, that would explain her shortness and her little button nose. 

When he was satisfied that it was just soft tissue damage he regretfully pulled his hands away and leant back. But then Ruby made no move to get back up and he was about to ask what was wrong when her shoulders heaved and he heard a sob. Suddenly horrified that he'd gone too far or she was in more pain that she let on, he crouched over her so he could get a better look at her face and saw that she was crying, tears streaming down her face.She looked back up at him with her big watery brown eyes and he almost heard his heart crack at the sight. 

"I'm sorry, I'm just being silly. I'm not in pain it's just that I haven't been touched that gently since before the Turn. Everything has been so fucking brutal, everything a struggle, I didn't even know how much I missed it, or needed it. God I must sound like such a girl right now," Ruby said, laughing sadly. 

"It's fine, Ruby. Everyone needs to feel comfort." Then Daryl did something he hadn't planned at all, he lay down behind Ruby and draped his arm over the dip in her waist, his arm resting perfectly there and he pulled her against his chest. He heard her sob again and he shushed her, pressing a kiss into her hair and squeezing her tightly. Eventually she quietened down but he kept holding her and she kept letting him. He didn't think about how right this felt, how much he liked that she needed him, how she was leaning her head against his shoulder and how good her hair smelled. He just kept holding her and he would hold her until she didn't want him anymore, but he prayed that would never happen. 

 


	7. Chapter 7

All the sick people had been separated and the healthy now struggled to cover all the tasks that were needed be done around the prison. Ruby was eating breakfast with Daryl when Rick came strolling up to them looking more worried than usual. 

"Hey Daryl, I need you to come with me, there's something you need to see."

Daryl nodded and pushed his almost empty bowl at Ruby and she smiled at him because she was still hungry. She watched them walking away and wondered about what had happened but she figured Daryl would tell her when he got back. Finishing Daryl's breakfast she then took both their bowls to the wash up station and washed them up. She walked down to the fence line, picked up a lance and lit a cigarette, holding it between her lips she began to kill the walkers against the fence. It was repetitive work and she let her mind drift off from the task at hand. She imagined herself in a sexy little black dress and six inch heels, while meeting Daryl's eyes from across the dance floor of a sleazy club. She'd strut towards him, hips swaying to the beat, and give him her most sultry smile as she did so. When she reached him they wouldn't say a word just start grinding on each other, his hands would grip her hips firmly, guiding her ass onto his crotch. She was so absorbed by her little fantasy that she didn't notice someone had come up behind her until a hand lay on her shoulder and she spun around quickly brandishing the lance. But when she saw it was only Daryl she sighed in relief and put down her weapon.

"Karen's been killed by someone. Somebody obviously thought it was their duty to kill the sick and they burned her body along with David." 

"Oh my God, is Tyreese alright?" Ruby asked, knowing that the couple had been close. 

"Nah he went off at Rick and they ended up punching on." 

"Shit, are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're just going to have sore faces and hands for a few days." 

"Do they know who burnt the bodies?" 

"Not yet but we'll find them." 

Ruby sat down on the ground and pulled out her pack of cigarettes, it was now half full, and handed one to Daryl. He sat down on the ground next to her and leaned over so she could light it for him. Daryl had a worried look on his face and without thinking Ruby reached over, placed her hand on his cheek and made him look at her. 

"Hey it's going to be alright. We'll find out who did this and those people in there are going to get better, okay?" 

Daryl nodded and she let her fingers stroke his skin before she dropped her hand and went back to smoking her cigarette. Daryl's cheeks had turned the slightest shade of pink and she hid her smile behind her hand, he was so easy to tease. She wondered what he would do if she were to just kiss him. Probably push her away she thought, he didn't seem like he wanted to be intimate with anyone let alone her. Ruby wished that her thoughts towards the unruly archer were just platonic but she had felt an instant attraction to him even from the time he had threatened her with his crossbow. But she always thought that maybe Daryl had a thing for his good friend Carol, she'd noticed that Daryl spent an inordinate amount of time with the tough, grey haired woman. Ruby also couldn't help but notice that Carol had barely said more than two words to her since she'd been at the prison, but that might have been a coincidence. All she knew was that every time she saw the pair together a white hot rage would build in the pit of her stomach which was almost funny to her as she had never been the jealous type before. 

"A few of us are going on a run to a veterinary hospital nearby to try and find some medicine for the people that are sick." 

"I'm in," Ruby replied, standing up and crushing her cigarette with her boot.

They walked over to where the cars are kept and where Michonne and Bob were getting ready, the arrived just as Tyreese did and Ruby couldn't help sneaking a glance at his face. His left eye was puffy but other than that he seemed no worse for wear. Daryl got into the driver's seat and Ruby was quick to call shotgun much to the amusement of Michonne. The hospital was a fair distance, maybe two hours away and that was a good amount of time for things to go wrong. Ruby looked at the map that Daryl gave her and she marked out the most direct route, even though that would go to shit when some roads would undoubtedly be blocked by walkers. She settled into her seat enjoying the ride and occasionally giving Daryl directions but for the most part the car was silent and the roads empty. Daryl began to fiddle with the dial on the radio, tuning it trying to find a working signal, suddenly there was the crackle of talking and they all froze. He started to wind it back hoping to come over the station again when they suddenly smashed into a walker, Daryl lost control of the steering wheel for a moment and they plowed straight into another walker on the road. He hit the breaks and they were all yanked forward by the force of the stop. Ruby looked up through the windshield and gasped- there were hundreds of walkers coming towards them on the road. Daryl yanked the gear stick and they started reversing quickly but then they hit the walkers they had already run over, Daryl tried driving forward but their back wheels weren't getting any traction on the walker bodies. With no other choice Daryl yelled for them to get out of the car and make for the woods. Ruby wrenched the door open and rolled of the car commando style, she pulled her machete from it's holster on her back and swung the blade into the skull of the nearest walker. She ran forwards and brought her machete down in a slicing arch onto the next walker. She looked back at the others and was shocked to see Tyreese still in the back of the car, just sitting there as if nothing was amiss.

"TYREESE!" she screamed. 

He finally seemed to wake up out of a daze and he jumped out of the vehicle swinging his hammer. He was surrounded by walkers and Ruby could do nothing but turn back around and keep fighting her way to the treeline where Michonne, Bob and Daryl already were. Daryl shot a bolt at a walker coming towards Ruby and she dispatched the last one ambling towards her from the side. They all looked back at Tyreese who was fighting tooth and nail to get through the walkers but every time he brought one down two more would spring up like a demented, disembodied hydra. Ruby looked at Daryl who just shook his head and turned towards the forest, he ran into it and the three of them could do nothing but follow him. Sprinting through the woods, heart thumping and blooding rushing through her veins Ruby was in her element, she didn't do well sitting idle. Out here in the middle of the maelstrom, fighting for her life and risking her neck to save people was where she flourished. 

They ran into a clearing and paused looking back at the way they had come. The trees rustled and Daryl stepped forward reloading his crossbow as he did so. Two walkers emerged and before they could do anything Tyreese came out behind them and killed them with his hammer. He fell forward and they got a good look at the state of him, he was covered in blood and guts, Daryl moved forward and pulled him up by the shoulder. They started running through the woods again hoping to find another road and then another car so they could finish their task. Eventually the trees thinned out and they came onto a road, they saw a building not far away and they made their way towards that. When they reached it they saw that it was covered in ivy, there was a car parked next to it also strangled by the vine. Daryl opened the door and lay across the passenger seat and reached under the steering column to hot wire the car. But after a few tries it didn't work. They began to pull the vines away from the building. It seemed that it used to be a service station and there might be supplies inside it that would help them fix the car. Tyreese pulled on the front door with a maniacal strength, they all told him to slow down, not knowing what was waiting to come out the door but Tyreese paid them no mind. He continued to pull and finally it creaked open and out came a walker, it grabbed at Tyreese's shirt and he yelled out wrestling with the thing. Michonne came over and cut the head off the walker. Two more walkers came through the door but they were taken care of quickly. 

Daryl moved towards the door and banged on it a couple times waiting for any stragglers to come out but none did. One by one they made their way into the dark garage and they clicked on their torches, sweeping the the oil smelling room. Daryl found what he was looking for and they went back outside, Michonne pulled Tyreese aside to speak to him and Ruby hoped she was giving him a good talking to for being a fucking dickhead. He was going to get them all killed with his recklessness. Daryl opened the bonnet of the car and started working on it. Ruby approached him and handed him a cigarette, she passed one to Bob as well and then lit her own. She watched what Daryl was doing, wanting to learn as much as she could about how to fix a car. Finally Daryl told Bob to start the engine and the sound of it purring was sweet music to their ears. They climbed into the car and took off again making sure to give the heard of walkers a wide berth. 

They finally reached the hospital at about midday and they stepped into the cool darkness of the hallway single file. They walked quietly to the first room and began to look through the cabinets. 

"Grab anything with 'cilin' or cin, c-i-n" Bob instructed them, as the only person with medical knowledge. 

Ruby started filling up her messenger bag with the medicine and was pleased to see that her companions were having just as much luck with their cabinets. Once they had cleared the room of all the medicine they needed they headed through another door, Ruby looked back to see Bob bending over behind a desk, she couldn't see what he had found so she turned back around and followed Michonne out of the room. They hit another room and filled up their bags with medicine before deciding they had enough. They walked into a darker hallway and went to open another door but this was blocked with walkers, a banging sound came from behind them and they looked and saw that more walkers were trying to get through the door they had just come through. Daryl opened the next door and Michonne immediately sliced two heads off the walkers simultaneously. They ran through it into the lighter hallway and sprinted down the length of it but as they reached the next door they saw that it was again blocked by even more walkers. 

"We have to get out of here!" Michonne yelled. 

Tyreese picked up a fire extinguisher off the floor and threw it at the window, it smashed and they all jumped out the window onto the roof of a sheltered walkway. They were running across it when they heard a yell behind them, Bob was lying on the edge of the roof, clutching his bag as it was being grabbed by walkers below. Tyreese ran over and grabbed Bob's legs pulling him towards safety. 

"Let go of the bag," Ruby shouted. 

But Bob wouldn't let go, finally Tyreese, was able to pull Bob back and they all sighed in relief. Daryl grabbed the bag from Bob's relaxed hand, he gave a shout of protest but could do nothing as Daryl opened it and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. Ruby turned back to Bob with a look of disgust on her face. 

"That's what you were picking up back there? Not more medicine but booze?!" 

"You got no meds in here, just this!" Daryl growled.  

Daryl made a move as if to throw it off the roof but Ruby saw Bob's hand move towards the gun at his hip, Daryl saw this as well and walked up to Bob and moved his head so that it was almost touching Bob's forehead, his eyes were on Bob's, narrowed and menacing. He yanked the gun out of Bob's holster and butted heads with him growling. 

"I wasn't trying to hurt nobody, it was just for when it gets quiet," Bob said, looking ashamed. 

"You take one sip. When those meds get into our people. I will beat your ass into the ground." 

They all turned away from Bob and jumped from the roof, before sprinting back towards the car, walkers not far behind them, they jumped in and Daryl started the car up before speeding out of the car park. No one said anything on the drive back home, they were too angry with Bob to say a word to him. When they finally reached the gates of the prison Ruby groaned in relief, it had been a tremendously long day for all of them. They all handed their bags full of medicine to Bob who immediately ran to the cell block where all the sick people were, Tyreese hot on his heels wanting to check on Sasha. Ruby turned to the barrels of rain water and she splashed it all over her face and neck, the feeling was so good she did it a couple more times. 

Rick ran up to them from where he had opened the gates for them, they started filling him in on what happened and he in exchange told them what had been happening at the prison. Ruby mumbled something about going to bed and she headed towards the cell block before anyone could call her back. When she got to her cell she undressed out of her stinking clothes and pulled on a soft white cotton shirt and pyjama shorts. She was about to get into bed when someone knocked on the wall beside her door. Sighing but thinking it was Daryl she pulled aside the sheet that she had hung up for privacy. Rick was standing there much to her surprise, but he was her leader so she couldn't tell him to piss off no matter how tired she was. She motioned for him to come in and he stepped through the door, standing close to him she noticed how he towered over her. 

"Daryl told me you guys had a few close shaves today, are you okay?" 

"Yeah, it was pretty full on but luckily no one was hurt," Ruby replied. 

"That's good," Rick said, stepping closer to her and cupping her cheek in his hand. "You know you can come to me with anything right, darlin'?" 

Before she could step back or say anything Rick's mouth came down on hers, it opened in surprise and his tongue slid into her mouth rubbing against her own. Hands wound themselves into her hair and her head was tipped back to give him a better angle. Rick pushed her against the wall and held her there with his hips his mouth devouring hers, Ruby didn't stop the kiss immediately, despite her affection for Daryl, this had been the first kiss she'd received since before the Turn and it felt good to be wanted. But eventually she brought her hands up to Rick's taut chest and she gently pushed him away. He looked down at her slightly out of breath with a question in his eyes. 

"I'm sorry Rick, but I don't feel the same way about you. I have feelings for Daryl actually," Ruby said gently. 

"Oh well that's alright, thanks for being upfront about it," Rick said smiling. 

He started walking out of her cell but when he reached the door he turned around and said, "You know, I think Daryl feels the same way about you."

Ruby went to sleep still smiling about that.  


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I was gone on space cakes when I wrote this.

The next day Ruby was lying on her bed in the cell, Rick hadn't given her anything to do yet so she was just chilling out for once. She was still amazed that she lived in a reality where she could afford the luxury of not doing anything. Daryl had gone somewhere with Rick and Tyreese so she was on her own, smoking and wishing she had a book to read or a charged iPod with decent speakers. She was just about to light another cigarette when a huge explosion rocked the prison's foundations.  _What the fuck was that?_  

She jumped up from her bunk and quickly stashed everything into her pack, swinging it onto her back she ran out into the courtyard, meeting up with Daryl, Rick and Tyreese on the way. They ran to the fence line and saw a fucking tank at the outer fence along with a convoy of vehicles. A man standing atop the tank with an eye patch over his right eye and Ruby immediately knew that this was the Governor. 

"Rick! Come down here. We need to talk." 

"It's not up to me. There's a council now. They rule this place," Rick bellowed back.

"Is Hershel on the council? What about Michonne? Is she on the council too?" From out of one of the cars a guy pulled Hershel out, Ruby heard Maggie gasp. Then out stepped Michonne and she knew this was not going to end well.

"I don't make decisions anymore!" Rick yelled back, his voice slightly shaking.

"You're making the decisions today Rick. Come down here, let's have that talk," the Governor replied, indifferent.

Rick looked at Daryl who nodded back at him and then he turned to his son Carl, grasped him on the neck, murmured something to him before turning and facing the Governor and walking towards the gate. 

Ruby held her breath and waited for the bullet that would end her leader's life, but none came. Rick walked down and she was helpless to do anything to protect him from harm. She tightened the straps of her pack until they were almost biting into her shoulders. 

"We'll go through the admin building, through the woods like we planned. We ain't go the numbers no more," Daryl said quietly to Sasha. "Things go bad, everyone heads for the bus." He locked eyes with Ruby as he said this. 

What if everybody doesn't know when things go south? How long do we wait? Tyreese asked. 

"As long as we can."

Rick had reached the fence line by this point and although they couldn't hear the conversation Ruby could imagine Rick's voice in her head pleading to let their friends go. Daryl pulled a cart of guns towards them and started handing them out. He came up behind her real close so he could hand her the gun in secret, he leaned down so that his mouth almost touched her ear and whispered, "This never came up, but do you know how to use one of these?" Ruby looked down at the model and she nodded her hair brushing against Daryl's cheek. 

Rick and the Governor continued to talk until the Governor jumped off the tank and walked back to get something, when he turned around Ruby recognised Michonne's sword in his hands and he held it up to Hershel's throat. Maggie and Beth quickly walked forward crying, Ruby prayed that they wouldn't have to see their own father murdered in front of them.

Rick's voice suddenly carried over the distance of the field. 

"Look, I fought him before. And after, we took in his old friends. They've become leaders in what we have here. Now you put down your weapons, walk through those gates you're one of us. We let go of all of it, and nobody dies. Everyone who's alive right now. Everyone who's made it this far. We've all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive but we can still come back. We're not too far gone. We get to come back. I know we all can change." 

The Governor drew the sword back and Ruby sighed in relief, thinking he would put it down but then he swung it down and across Hershel's neck. She could see the blood from here and he continued to hack at his neck until Hershel's head came away.

"NO!" Rick yelled, and fired his gun. 

Gunfire immediately followed and they all started shooting at them, careful not to aim at Michonne. That's when all hell broke loose and the tank started moving over the fence, breaking it down like it was made of string. The people all moved behind the tank and followed it into the prison, shooting at them as they went. The tank fired another shot into the prison and Ruby teeth chattered from the force of the blast. She heard Beth say something about ammo and her and Maggie started running towards the bus. Ruby scanned everywhere for Daryl and found him throwing a grenade at a group of people, the explosion was small but still big enough to reverberate in her ears. She ran towards him and followed as he threw another grenade down the barrel of the tank, the guy inside got out in time but Daryl already had his crossbow trained on him, he shot a bolt into his his chest and viciously pulled it out. Beth ran towards them looking scared but determined, still holding her gun. 

"I tried to find the kids to get them onto the bus," she panted. 

"We gotta go, Beth," Daryl replied. 

They started running towards the woods leaving the noise of the gunfire behind. Ruby didn't know for how the were running for, but long enough that the only sound they could hear were the cicadas in the trees and the occasional chatter of a squirrel. After a couple of hours they slowed to a walk but continued into the night not knowing where to go or if they would ever see their friends again. 

* * *

"I need a drink," Beth said suddenly, nearly making Ruby choke on her chunk of mud snake. 

"I think we can all agree that we need a drink," Ruby replied when she had recovered. 

"No, I mean I need to get my first drink, I've never had one before." 

To Ruby this sounded insane, as an Australian she had had her first drink at sixteen supervised and accepted by her parents. But she knew Hershel to be a traditional and religious man so maybe it shouldn't surprise her that Beth, now about nineteen had never consumed alcohol. 

Ruby turned to Daryl who was eating in silence, in fact, the man had barely said more than two words since the prison. "What do you think Daryl?" 

Daryl just grunted and this seemed to frustrate Beth to no end. She threw away her piece of snake and stood up. "Well I'm going to go find a drink, come if you want." 

Ruby stood up too and pulled her pack onto her back and began to follow Beth, her ears told her that Daryl wasn't far behind them. 

They found an old golf club and broke into the front door, there was an apparel store inside and Ruby found a black T-shirt that wasn't filthy. She immediately dropped her bag, stripped her shirt and changed into the clean one, she stuffed her old one into her bag and straightened up to find Daryl staring at her open mouthed. She just poked her tongue out at him and turned away from his eyes. Nudity had stopped mattering to her long ago, besides she had been wearing a bra underneath it wasn't like he had seen her full frontal. They walked through the club and finally found the bar, Beth walked behind the counter and Ruby took a seat facing the window behind the back counter. She hadn't seen her reflection since the prison and she wished she hadn't. Her curly hair was less locks and more bush, dirt smudged her skin and her face was now much darker thanks to the sun. 

Beth came back round holding a bottle. "Peach schnapps, that's a good first drink right?"

Ruby held back her snort of laughter, schnapps wasn't even good as a last drink. She was about to make a joke when she heard a quiet sob, Beth was crying, unable to take a sip of what they had come here for. 

"Come on let's go, schnapps ain't gonna be your first drink," Daryl muttered. 

They walked several more miles, Daryl leading them somewhere only he knew, the two girls trailing behind him. They finally reached a shack in a clearing in the woods and Daryl led them inside after checking that there weren't any walkers inside. Ruby looked around at the messy cabin, she began to search the cupboards for anything useful but found nothing, giving up she went and sat down on the couch. But there was a huge lump under the cushion, she stood up and pull the seat cushion back and found a huge bag of weed. Trying not to squeal in excitement she pulled it out and quickly stashed it in her bag not needing Beth to think she needed to have her first smoke of the wacky tobacky too. 

Daryl came back carrying a box of jars filled with clear liquid and Ruby immediately knew what was going down. She sat down and reached for one of the jars before unscrewing the lid lifting it up to to her companions before taking a hearty chug. The burn as it went down her throat was eye watering but the effect was almost immediate, the tingle in her fingers and a lightness in her head. Beth sniffed it, a rookie error and almost choked, but then she took a deep breath and had a sip. Daryl was drinking the stuff like water, clearly used to the taste of moonshine. Ruby nursed her half cup of the clear liquid, enjoying the feeling of being drunk in a very long time. Daryl was gulping his down greedily, evidently not bothered by the taste while Beth was taking the tiniest of sips. She didn't blame her though, the stuff was very strong and it smelled like diesel fuel. 

* * *

"I'm calling those pigs feet, they're mine," Daryl muttered, as they surveyed the cupboards of the funeral home. 

"Hey, you're sharing them with me," Ruby retorted. 

 Later on, once they had eaten their fill, they were resting in a room with a piano listening to Beth sing and play. Daryl was lying in one of the coffins while Ruby was lying on the floor on couch cushions. They hadn't been able to get a good rest for a while so this small break from out there was welcome. Beth hadn't been playing for long when the front door started banging and the familiar hiss and gurgle of the walkers reached their ears. Daryl jumped from the coffin and picked up his crossbow, Ruby slid her machete out of the sheath and followed Daryl, she motioned for Beth to follow her with a spare hand. 

When they reached the front door there walkers trying to get in, they'd managed to get the doors open and it was only the rope Daryl tied there that was holding them back. Daryl starting stabbing the walkers in the heads but there were just too many, the rope loosened even more so Daryl turned back to Beth. 

"Go! Get outta here! We'll follow you!" 

Beth nodded and ran down the length of the building towards the back door that led onto the street outside. Ruby ran some distance behind her, Beth was out the door before Ruby could reach her. Three heartbeats later she was out the door just in time to see two men drag her into a car with a white cross on the back and then speed off down the road. 

"BETH!" she screamed, sprinting after the car. She looked back and saw Daryl following her, not knowing what had happened. 

They ran after the car and tried to keep up but once it turned a corner they had lost the trail. Ruby was inconsolable, if only she had reached the door in time then she might have been able to fight those guys off her. They kept running on the roads trying to find a sign of Beth or the car that took her. Finally Daryl collapsed and sat down on the ground not saying a word just panting heavily. Ruby was about to tell him to get up when a group of men slowly surrounded them with their weapons drawn.  _Shit._


	9. Chapter 9

"Well lookit here," said a grey haired, bearded guy.

He approached Daryl and was unable to block him when Daryl swung his fist and punched him in the face. The man fell to the ground and Daryl drew his crossbow up to point it at the man, not caring that all the man's companions were now pointing their weapons at him. 

"Damn it, hold up!" the man yelled. 

"I'm claiming that vest. I like them wings," said another man with a bow and arrow.

"Hold up," said the man again, getting to his feet.

He looked down at Daryl and started laughing loudly. 

"A bowman. I respect that. See, a man with a rifle, he could have been some kind of photographer or soccer coach back in the day. But a bowman's a bowman through and through. What you got there, 150-pound draw weight? I'll be donkey-licked if that don't fire at least 300 feet per second. I've been looking for a weapon like that. Of course, I'd want one with a bit more ammo and minus the oblongata stains." He laughed again.   
  
"Get yourself in some trouble, partner? You pull that trigger, these boys are gonna drop you several times over. That what you want? Come on, fella, suicide is stupid. Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people? Name's Joe."

"Daryl," he grunted. 

"And what's your name darling," Joe said turning his smile onto her. 

"Ruby," she replied, gritting her teeth. 

"Claimed," one of the men said, grinning widely. 

"Now I think she belongs to Daryl. Well, Daryl, is the girl yours?"

Ruby was about to say that she didn't belong to anyone but a look from Daryl told her to keep her mouth shut. 

"Yes, she's mine," Daryl replied. 

"Pity," another man said. 

 "Come on, let's go find a place to lay our heads tonight," Joe said. 

They walked several miles before deciding on an old garage beside the train tracks. Daryl and Ruby hadn't said a word to each other the entire time, they could tell that these were the sorts of survivors that you don't want to cross. She desperately wanted to know what that "claiming" business was about but was too afraid to ask, they'd find out soon enough she figured. Ruby found a little corner that was partly made private by a car parked to the side of it, Daryl followed her and settled himself against the wall. She was about to ask what he was doing when he started whispering. 

"Don't want you to be alone around these guys. Got no idea what the "claiming" was but I didn't like the sound of it. Better to be near each other anyway in case things go south." 

"Yeah you're right," Ruby conceded. 

She pushed her pack under her head and squished it in places to make it more comfortable. She could hear the other men talking and laughing and she tried her best to block them out. Ruby wondered where Beth was, if she was hurt by those people that took her. She wondered about the rest of their friends, where they were now, if they were safe, if they'd ever see each other again. 

* * *

When she woke up the next morning it wasn't much past dawn and there was no sign of Daryl. Sighing she got up and tied her hair into a messy ponytail on top of her head. Peering over the top of the car she could see that not many of the men were awake, but she couldn't see Joe and the guy who had said "claimed" yesterday. Gathering her pack and reattaching her machete holster to her waist she got out from her little corner and tip toed towards the door of the garage. Just as she was about to reach outside a hand closed around her wrist and she turned back to find a guy grinning down at her. 

"Where you going so early, baby?" 

"None of your goddamn business, motherfucker. Let go of my arm before you lose your hand," Ruby snarled. 

Before she could reach for her machete with her free hand he had already pulled her to his chest locking her arms behind her and holding her there just breathing down her neck. She could feel his hardness pressed into her ass and he let out a disgusting groan as he ground it into her more. She was beginning to feel the first tendrils of panic, with no other option she swung her head back as hard as she could and smiled as she felt it collide with his nose and he screamed in pain. 

"Bitch! I was going to make this enjoyable for you but now I'm gonna make this as painful as possible for you," he muttered into her ear. 

"What's going on over here?" His scream of pain had awoken the rest of them and they were soon standing around them watching and waiting. 

"Bout to make this little bitch my whore, who wants to join me?" he said laughing. 

One man smiled and walked forwards, he unbuckled the harness of her machete and he threw far away, next was her gun holster on her thigh. The man behind her started forcing her onto the ground and she had no choice but to kneel, someone took away her pack and threw that away too. Tears were pouring down her face now as she knew she was about to relive the worst thing to happen to her once again. Rough fingers unbuttoned her jeans and they laughed cruelly as they pulled them down her legs, different hands forced her legs apart and held them down as the first guy began to unbuckle his belt. 

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?" 

Before Ruby could turn her head Daryl came out of nowhere and punched the man in between her legs, square in the jaw. He began to pummel the bastard and Ruby didn't feel a shred of guilt as she watched him being beaten. The rest of the men had backed off her now and she quickly pulled up her jeans along with a last shreds of her dignity. Joe came over held a hand out for her, she took it begrudgingly and stood up, turning away she gathered up her stuff and quickly reattached everything to her person again. Daryl had stopped beating the first guy and had moved onto another man, Joe didn't seem like he was going to do anything about it so Ruby picked up a baseball bat that was lying nearby and swung a hit into the closest man's ribs. He went down hard and she started beating him, careful not to aim for his head, she took out her anger on him. When she was satisfied that he had paid enough she moved onto the last guy and smiled in satisfaction as the bat hit his stomach and made him double over gasping for breath. 

When she had finished him off she straightened up and saw Daryl watching her with concern in his eyes as he gnawed on his thumbnail. She nodded at him but said nothing else to him, she couldn't say anything in front of these men. 

"Can I just say, from the bottom of my heart, how utterly sorry I am, Ruby. These men usually know the drill, if something is claimed then it belongs to the person who claimed it and no one else. They just must have gone crazy for the first woman they've seen in months. No excuse but you are quite the looker, darling," Joe said. 

Ruby said nothing but just walked away and out the door of the garage, she made it to the line of trees on the other side of the tracks when she doubled over and threw up everything in her stomach. She collapsed a distance away from her vomit and began crying, desperate sobs that were exacerbated by the adrenaline running through her veins. Footsteps approached her but she didn't bother to wipe away her tears, she didn't owe anything to anyone. Arms were picking her up off the ground and then encircling her, holding her tight to the familiar smell of pine and leather. 

"Where were you? Where were you?" She found herself sobbing into Daryl's chest. 

"I'm so sorry Ruby, I went hunting, I thought it'd be okay. God I'm so sorry. I'll never leave you again. You hear me? I'm never gonna leave you again."

* * *

 It was nightfall and they were still following Joe wherever he was leading them. Ruby hadn't said a word in front of any of the man since they had almost raped her not that they had much to say to her either, she did beat them with a baseball bat. All she wanted to do was pass out, it had been an emotionally tolling day and every minute she was awake was agony. Joe came to a sudden stop, he turned to the guy next to him and they quickly sneaked off into the woods, the other guys followed them. 

"They must have found the guy they've been looking for. This ain't got nothing to do with us so we'll hang back," Daryl said. 

"What if it's someone we know, we have to at least check," Ruby replied, walking towards where the others had gone. 

"Oh, dearie me. You screwed up, asshole. You hear me? You screwed up. Today is a day of reckoning, sir. Restitution. A balancing of the whole damn universe. Shit, and I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Year's Eve. Now who's gonna count down the ball dropper with me, huh?" Joe laughed. 

Ruby gasped as she saw that it was Rick's head that was against the muzzle of Joe's gun. Daryl ran out and Ruby was not far behind when Joe started counting down. Rick saw them standing there and his eyes widened, probably not believing that they were alive. 

"Joe! Hold up," Daryl pleaded. 

"You're stopping me on eight Daryl," Joe replied.

"Just hold up."

"This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about," one of the guys said.   
  
"The thing about nowadays is that we've got nothing but time, say your piece Daryl," Joe said. 

"These people, you're gonna let 'em go. These are good people," Daryl said. 

"Now, I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll, of course, have to speak for him and all 'cause your friend here strangled him in a bathroom," Joe replied.  
  


"You want blood. I get it. Take it from me, come on," Daryl bargained. 

"No!" Ruby said. 

"This man killed our friend. You say he's good people. See, now that right there is a lie." 

Before Ruby could do anything someone had grabbed her from behind and had her in a headlock that incapacitated her arms too. They began beating Daryl and she could do nothing but watch it happen. 

"Teach him, fellas. Teach him all the way," Joe called out. 

Before her she saw a man drag Carl out of the car with a knife to his throat and she tried to struggle out of her headlock but the grip only tightened. 

"Listen, it was me. It was just me," Rick reasoned. 

"See, now that's right. That's not some damn lie. Look, we can settle this. We're reasonable men. First, we're gonna beat Daryl to death. Then we'll have the girls. Then the boy. Then I'm gonna shoot you and then we'll be square," Joe laughed. 

Rick saw the man tackled his son to the ground and straddle him and he shouted out, "Let him go!"

Suddenly he jerked his head back into Joe's face and the gun went off beside his ear. Rick turned around and punched Joe in the face, whose nose was already bleeding. Joe swung back at him and then kicked him in the stomach when he went down. Rick got up and Joe held him in his arms.

"What are you gonna do now, sport?" 

Without warning Rick dove into Joe's neck and with his teeth ripped a chunk out of his neck, blood spurted everywhere and Rick spat out the bit of flesh still in his mouth. He threw Joe aside and let him choke to death on his own blood. Everyone had stopped what they were doing, all they could do was stare and Daryl and Michonne took advantage of their distraction. Michonne grabbed the gun pointed at her and fired it into the head of the man still holding it. Daryl swung a punch at his nearest opponent and gained the upper hand. Ruby could feel the grip around her lessen and she stamped her foot down hard onto his foot. He yelped in pain and she quickly spun around dagger in her hand and she sliced his throat. Meanwhile Rick was stabbing the man that had been about to rape his son, he wouldn't let up though, he kept stabbing the dead man until Ruby could hear nothing but the squelch of flesh. 

 

 


End file.
